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Eranomous' Story Part Five
Wings of Fire Eranomous' Story PART 5 * by RhynoBullraq, Feb 16, 2016, 12:49:03 PM * Literature / Fan Fiction / Fantasy Written by: RhynoBullraq Edited by: A.T. Peluso # Based on the World and Characters created by Tui T. Sutherland '' '''Chapter 10: Eranomous' Eranomous was thankful that Weed had fallen asleep. He hoped that maybe if her body relaxed, the poison wouldn’t spread as fast, allowing him more time with her. The thought of Weed dying scared the SkyWing to his core. He couldn't imagine what he would do without this little SeaWing in his life. Why can't I ever save the ones I love? I can't lose Weed too... The SkyWing closed his eyes, seeing the little flame surrounded by darkness from his dreams, but this time it was different. The flame began to grow larger, illuminating something staring back at him. The creature ahead of him had black, rock like skin, with little cracks throughout it, revealing the fire burning under its skin. Eranomous couldn't help but feel like he was looking at a reflection. "Who are you?" The SkyWing timidly asked, fearing it would attack him. The creature looked up to him, his eyes were identical to his own, sending shivers through Eranomous’ body. "I am the blood, I am the unforgivable, I am the hatred, I am the curse, I am the end... I am you." Eranomous' heart leapt out if his chest. "No!" He violently shook his head, but then he snapped back to reality, still holding Weed closely. Three Moons... what was that? Suddenly the SkyWing heard Krona’s voice in the distance. "Weed... Era!?" Then he heard his Brother's voice. "Eranomous!" Eranomous gently rose up, turning to the others. "Weed needs help... she got stung... it was my fault." Krona nearly tripped over her own talons, "What!? No! What did you do!?" She suddenly looked very angry. Skylis froze. "What happened Era... you look even worse than before..." Eranomous ignored their questions. "Is there any way to save her!?" Before they could respond Dustdevil spoke up, lifting a talon. "I know how! ...well... my parents know how, my uncle too." Eranomous' ears perked. Of course a SandWing would know how to heal their own venom! "Three moons, really! Where are your parents?" The SandWing sighed, looking back the way they came. "A good while away, pretty close to the southeast border." "That's far..." Krona cursed under her breath. Eranomous shook his head. "We gotta get Weed help... I don't care how far it is!" "Sorry, no… if we walk that distance she'll definitely die before we get there... But I can fly her there on my back and surely get there before sunrise." Dustdevil explained. I'd have to... leave her... "But-" Eranomous began. "Do it!" Krona snapped, making the SandWing jump. "She doesn't deserve to die here... She deserves to live! Now take her and stop wasting time!" She lashed her tail about, sending sand everywhere. Dustdevil went over to the SeaWing and picked her up carefully. "When you lot find the Peacewings just send a group of dragons to get her… I trust I’ll see you soon." Skylis sighed, itching his neck. "What do you think her chances are Dust?" "The longer it takes for me to leave... lower and lower." Dustdevil said dryly, spreading his wings. Eranomous didn't want to leave Weed, but even more than that… he didn’t want her to die. "Please save her Dust… she needs to live…" The SandWing nodded sternly, flapping his wings to take off. The three Dragonets watched as he lifted up and flew off into the distance with Weed. Krona shot Eranomous a narrowed look, seeming a tad hostile. "What happened... and what are those bags?" Eranomous lowered his head and weakly explained. "Well... Morbid had made bones for my wings, so I told Weed I had to grab those before we left..." "Seriously... is that why she could die!?" Krona roared and got in his face. "Because you were being selfish!" Skylis stomped a talon down. "Krona, you don't really think that! You're just looking for someone to blame and Era is the only one you can! At least hear everything he has to say before you bite his head off." Eranomous glanced over to his brother. Sky is standing up for me... unlike before. ' Krona lashed her tail in annoyance, nearly hitting Skylis in the head and hissed. "Shut up, Red!" Eranomous continued, looking down at the sand. "When we got to the tent it... it was on fire and the wings were destroyed beyond repair... but then Weed said we should grab what scrolls and items we could, in these bags... in hopes of maybe being able to craft new wings later. After we both filled our bags... she just bolted out of the tent… right towards a group of SandWings... and..." Krona growled loudly and turned away, "Enough! I'm so tired of you right now...” The IceWing spread her wings, ready to fly. "I'll see you both at the oasis." "Okay..."Skylis sighed, shaking his head. Eranomous turned to his brother, recalling his brief vision. "Brother... if I ever become a monster... will you to take care of me..." His Brother looked at him for a moment, obviously a little confused. "Of course Era… I promise..." The Brothers picked up the two bags and followed in the direction Krona left. The whole way over to the Oasis, Eranomous couldn't stop thinking of Weed. '''She'll be okay... right? How did I let her get stung? I was supposed to protect her... but I failed... Why do I always mess up?’ ''He held back his tears and tried to reassure himself. ''‘Dust will save her… he has to…’ '' '' When the two finally arrived at the Oasis, the moons were high. Eranomous didn’t have to look too hard to find Krona, she was sitting in front of the palm trees, seemingly brooding. Before Eranomous could approach her, Skylis stopped him with his wing. "Hold on Era, let me talk to her first." "Oh... Okay..."Eranomous nodded and sat down next to the pond. '''Yeah... I'm probably the last dragon she wants to talk to... Skylis walked over to Krona and sat down next to her. "Hey Krona... do you want to talk?" Eranomous felt a pang of sorrow in his chest. He's'' ''checking on her in the way our Mother always did... The memory of their Mother pained him ever since she died. I feel like... I took her for granted... Krona sighed, keeping her eyes fixed on the dark horizon. "I wish Weed was with one of us instead... I really feel like me or you could've protected her better... sheesh... even Dust could've done a better job... now she might die... and I can’t do anything…" She let out a sob, then tried to compose herself. "I've never met a better dragon then her..." Eranomous looked down at the pond, he hardly recognized himself. Am I... cursed? ...Is that why I fail at everything and look like a monster? He chuckled at the thought, holding back tears. It sure would be a nice excuse for it all... The SkyWing sighed and walk out of earshot. "Weed... please... please survive... I'd give anything to see you again...." ~~~ From the Oasis, the three dragons set off north towards the Ice Kingdom, to find the rock that would point them towards the Peacewings. When the group entered the Ice Kingdom a day later, Skylis began to make a point of sleeping next to his brother for warmth. While they continued north, they all began to think they were lost and began to lose hope, but then they finally found it. The stone was tall with a single spike pointing northeast towards the mountains. Krona slammed her talons against the rock and groaned. "Uggh, finally!!! If I didn't know any better I'd think this rock was running from us." She slowly dragged her talons down it and laughed. “Stupid rock…” Skylis nodded with a chuckle. "Yeah... last stop the Peacewings." "Then we can go and get Weed." Eranomous said with a sigh. He was relieved to know that Weed was still alive, because Krona hadn't said otherwise. A brief silence fell upon the group at the mentioning of Weed. Skylis cleared his throat breaking the silence. "We should get going, if we're lucky we can get to the Peacewings before-" Before he could finish Krona lifted a wing. "Shhhh-!” Krona quickly snapped. “You two hide!" Without question, the SkyWing's hid behind a snowy hill and waited. Eranomous wasn't sure what was going on until he heard two voices he didn't recognize approaching. "Well well, what do we have here?" The first voice sounded like a young male. Then he heard the second one, this voice was also male but sounded a bit older. "Shore... my silly little brother, I thought you said you saw SkyWings down here... all I see is-" Shore hissed, cutting off his older brother. "Hey, I did see SkyWings Brother! We probably just scared them off!" Eranomous heard their talons scrape the ground as they landed. His brother sighed. "Are you alright? Those SkyWings didn’t hurt you right?” He paused for a moment. “Hmmm I've never seen you before... I'm SnowStorm, but my friends call me Snow and this is my little brother Shore.” ‘Uggh… why are they sticking around to chat… they must have nothing better to do…’ "I'm fine... my name's Krona. I haven't been here in a long time... I'm just… uh… trying to find my Father." It was obvious to hear that Krona sounded a little uncomfortable. I hate not being able to see what's going on... Eranomous tried to calm himself down. ‘It’s okay… Krona can handle this… she’ll be fine.’ The younger IceWing piped in, sounding overly eager to help. "What's his name? Maybe we can help you find him... by the way... I really like your horn, it’s pretty. Can I touch it?" Krona scoffed. "Ah, back off shrimp." "Shore, behave." SnowStorm ordered sternly, trying to assert himself as the brother in charge. Shore growled. "Don't order me around like I’m one of your little followers back home!” Eranomous heard a loud cracking sound whip against the ground. ‘Oh no… what was that?’ SnowStorm hissed. "You little brat! How dare you strike at me...” Eranomous could here a few grunts between the brothers and their talons scraping the ground. ‘Are they fighting?’ Suddenly Shore tumbled across the ground, past the SkyWing’s hiding spot. Three Moons, what do we do!?'' He’s gonna see us!’ The IceWing quickly got up, shaking himself off and glaring with rage, "That's it I've had it with-" He stopped, seemingly noticing the exposed red dragons. "SkyWings!? Three moons! That one looks like a monster!" SnowStorm rushed over hissing viscously. "Shore, look! That monster has no wings, I think you can take him! I'll take that one." Both IceWings lowered to the ground ready to strike. "Krona, stay back, we got this!" Skylis lashed his tail and spread his wings, "Great! Era... pin and kill!" He ordered, launching himself into the air. Eranomous felt himself shaking. '''Three Moons... I'm gonna die... Eranomous glanced to SnowStorm, he was a bit bigger then Skylis and more muscular. His scales were a beautiful white with blue freckles twirling in circles at his cheeks and shoulders. Then Eranomous looked to the younger IceWing growling in his direction. Shore was portly in frame, with almost white, blue scales. He had a few scars on his chest and forelegs. Eranomous couldn't help but feel like this IceWing liked to pick fights with other dragons often. That doesn't mean he's good at fighting though. SnowStorm lifted after Skylis in a matter of moments and Shore began to lift his head hissing, confusing the SkyWing for a moment. ‘What is he… doing?’ Then Eranomous remember that sound from when Krona was breathing ice. Ice Breath! He quickly rolled to his left, barely dodging out of the way of his breath. Shore scoffed and scraped his tail across the ground. "How about you let me kill you! Trust me, I’d be doing you a favor! No one should have to be as ugly as you." Ignore him… remember what Sky said. Pin and Kill, Pin and Kill, Pin and...’ ''The IceWing slowly began to close in. Eranomous felt fear take over his body. ''‘No... Run, Run, Run! "Aahhhh!" The SkyWing quickly rushed past Shore towards Krona. "Kro-" Eranomous felt the IceWing's tail snag into his rear right foot. “Aaaah!” The SkyWing cried out, falling to the ground with a thud. When he looked back Shore was grinning with delight. "Poor freak, trying to run away…" The IceWing lifted his talons up ready to rip into his flesh. “I’m gonna enjoy spilling your bloo-” Suddenly a tail smashed into the dragons face like a club and shards of ice flew everywhere. Eranomous looked back to see Krona glaring at the other IceWing. Krona saved me... and she iced her tail up again... why? "Hey, he's not a freak, he’s MY screw up of a friend!" She barked. She... still considers us... friends... Shore rose from the ground, looking disoriented. "What... you’re with them? Oh no... BROTHER! She's a SkyWing Spy!" Krona tilted her head. "Seriously... uggh... you’re dumber then you look shrimp. If I was a spy, I would've killed you just then." "Your mistake!" The round IceWing growled and charged towards them. Eranomous quickly swept his tail across the ground, tripping Shore onto his side. "Krona, pin him!" Krona didn’t waste a second, she quickly jumped onto the young IceWing pinning him to the ground. "Snow, help!" Shore wailed, squirming under Krona's weight. Eranomous looked up, seeing SnowStorm and Skylis diving down towards them. Skylis looked like he was trying to catch the IceWing's tail and SnowStorm had his talons ready to strike. "Krona we-" Suddenly a large IceWing in a dark blue cloak flew in the way of SnowStorm and roared so loud it felt like the ground shook. "LEAVE!" SnowStorm quickly broke right and flapped away in fear. Eranomous and Krona jaws dropped. That cloak… He's a Peacewing! Krona stepped off the portly IceWing, letting him run away after his brother. "Father..." Skylis landed down next to them with a cringe, bleeding from his left front talon. "You're a Peacewing!" Eranomous rushed over to his Brother to see if he was okay. "Sky, you're bleeding." "I'm fine, really... don't worry about it." His Brother assured him, but then looked back to the large IceWing. The IceWing turned around looking them all over. "Krona... and sons of Alter..." The IceWing was very muscular, with scales a little darker then Krona's. He had two scars across the left side of his face, one diagonally across his snout and the other down his brow. His eyes were ice blue and looked a lot like Krona's. Wow, this really is her father... Eranomous felt his heart jump with excitement, We found them... we found the Peacewings! I’ll get to see Weed soon!’'' Krona turned to the SkyWings. "As you’ve probably put together… this is my Father... Norse." Norse bowed his head, then looked around the area. "Yes... I would love to catch up here... but we should get somewhere safer first. A storm is coming and we don't want to be outside when it hits." All of the dragonets nodded in agreement, then Skylis stepped forward. "Alright, lead the way Tribe Leader Norse." “Uh… Just Norse is fine…" He sighed, spreading his wings. “Come now, it’s quicker to fly-" "I can't fly... my wings-" Eranomous began, lifting his limp wings as proof. Norse lifted a talon. "It’s fine, I know… I shall carry you." Krona and Skylis lifted off the ground ready to go. Norse grabbed Eranomous tightly and lifted off the ground as well. Eranomous couldn't help but become worried again. '''Three Moons... now I can fantasize about Krona's Father dropping me... The group then headed off towards the mountains, following Norse. ~~~~~~~~ Chapter 11: Skylis The group was still flying when the winds began to pick up and snow and fog began to make it difficult to see. Skylis recalled learning how to fly during a rainstorm, but the winds felt way different from that. '' 'This cold is taking a toll on my wings... I should just distract myself from thinking about it.' He glanced over to Krona, who looked deep in thought. "Hey, Krona..." The IceWing glanced over. "Huh... What is it Red?" Skylis shook his head and sighed. '''I wonder if she'll ever call me by my name...' "I was just wondering how you were handling seeing your Father after all these years... I mean... you have every right to be mad, I think." "I really don't know..." Krona shrugged. "On one claw, he hid me for a reason... but on the other claw... I can't help but feel a little abandoned..." The SkyWing nodded, understandingly. "Yeah..." I can't imagine how that must feel... Suddenly Skylis noticed Norse gliding down toward a cave. “I guess this is our stop…” By the time the group had landed, the storm had only worsened. Skylis wasn't sure he could take anymore of this cold. ‘Uggh… my wings are going to freeze off, I swear.’ Norse looked back and roared, putting Eranomous down. "We're here. Get inside, quickly.” Skylis quickly ran into the cave, shivering a little. “Finally, I thought my wings and ears were gonna fall off for sure...” "Follow me." Norse ordered, continuing down the cave hall. “It’s a little warmer deeper in.” Krona lightly ran a talon on the wall. "Wow... the memories are coming back... I used to play here…" She paused for a moment, seemingly recalling a memory, but then she quickly shook it away and continued after her Father. ‘Her time here as a hatchling must feel like a different life.’ Skylis quickly caught up with his brother and nudged him playfully. "Era, we're here! Our Father walked these halls." "I know, this is so exciting... I can't wait to meet his friends." Eranomous' excitement made Skylis smile to himself. Finally... my brother can live somewhere he'll be safe, away from dragons who would do him harm. Eranomous stopped and looked down at his talons. “Hold on for a sec Sky…” Skylis stopped and looked at his Brother. “What is it, Era?” “I wanted to thank you… for coming to find me… I never really knew how serious you took that promise you made to Mother all those years ago…” Eranomous looked up to his brother with misty eyes. “So… Thank you, Brother.” Skylis stepped closer and nuzzled his snout. “You’re my brother Era, you don’t have to thank me.” He took a step back and smiled. “Now… let’s go enjoy what we worked so hard to find.” Eranomous laughed, wiping his tears. “Ha ha… Yeah.” When the two SkyWings caught up to the others they entered a large circular room with five thrones sorted around. ‘The thrones of the PeaceWings!’ Examining the room further, Skylis noticed two other hallways on the right and left of the room. Straight ahead of the SkyWings was a large window gutted in the wall, currently all they could see out of the window was the thick storm raging outside, but he was pretty sure you typically would be able to see the ocean from this view. It surprised Skylis that the wind wasn't blowing through it, but then he noticed the way the mountain was gutted prevented side winds from getting through this window. Skylis looked around at all the thrones with excitement, "This is where the tribe leaders sit and hold discussions..." Skylis' smile began to disappear. ‘Wait a second...’ Something seemed off. The thrones looked weathered, and small puddles had even formed in a few of them, as though no one had sat in them in a while and there seemed to be no other dragons coming to greet them. "Wait... where are the others?" Eranomous walked over to one of the hallways and poked his head in. "Hello?" His voice echoed down the hall, but no one responded. "Are the other tribe leaders out helping dragons in need?" "I'm afraid not..." Norse sighed. "The Peacewings haven't been here in... almost four years..." "What!?" All three of the Dragonets exclaimed. Skylis felt his heart sink. No... this was supposed to be it... this was supposed to be our new life start... this was supposed to be Era’s protection. He looked over to his Brother and could tell he was even more devastated then himself. Era... Krona stepped in front of her Father, looking flustered and lashing her tail. "What do you mean... why are they gone... and why are you still here if that is so?" Norse lifted his talons. “Hold on… before you all ask too many questions… I’ll tell you everything that happened… you all have a right to know..." Norse looked to the ground. "I’m going to tell you everything… but keep in mind you're not going to like everything I tell you..." He looked up and gazed at the SkyWings, smiling weakly. "You both look so much like your Father.” Then he looked at just Eranomous, “...Eranomous... I'm so sorry that Gailra… Krona's Mother… cursed you... it was my fault." "What!?" All three of the dragonets exclaimed again. Eranomous lifted his talons and examined them. "I am cursed..." "My Mother cursed him... what do you mean?" Krona felt her throat, seeming to recall the memory. "Did she do it after slitting my throat?” Skylis sat silently, ‘Brace yourself Sky… for whatever else he’s going to say… I don’t want to react to… rashly.’ Norse sighed again, turning towards the window. It was apparent to see that all this information weighed on him heavily. "I'll start this from where the problems began... it was when… when... the first SkyWing tribe leader was killed in the Sky Kingdom for reasons unknown... so Adenium found Alter. Alter was the perfect fit. He was a good listener, he believed in peace and tribe unity, but above all, he could keep secrets." He paused for a moment. "The problem was… that we fell in love with each other almost instantly..." Skylis’ eyes widened, but he kept his composure. ‘I was not expecting that.’ Eranomous and Krona took a step back, looking a tad bewildered. "What?" Norse continued, "It wasn’t odd for me to have those feelings, I had always had that preference. Alter on the other claw had never know that was acceptable… so he ignored any feeling he had had in the past and just found a female to settle down with, like all of his friends did. The issue was that we both loved each other, but had mates already and our first dragonets had already hatched... Skylis and Krona... in order to keep things safe... We kept our relationship a secret." Skylis tilted his head, trying to keep up. "Wait, if you had this preference the whole time... why did you mate with Gailra?" Norse closed his eyes. "That’s right… I forgot to explain that… Gailra was a special kind of IceWing called a Vehement... Vehements have special abilities such as the power of persuasion. They are able to see the lives of dragons who have died… and if the feelings are passionate enough... they can kill with just a thought." He looked over at Eranomous. "They can even… curse a dragon... But she was a stubborn girl... she only wanted to use her abilities when she saw fit... so Adenium told me to… be her mate and make a child with her... a child he could... control." The large IceWing looked down in embarrassment. Krona shook her head and lashed her tail, "Wh… What!? You were ordered to have me... that’s just... sick! So… you never wanted to take care of me... I don't- " Norse raised his voice, cutting her off. "Krona, just because that's how it started doesn't mean anything! I hid you because I love you and I didn't want that snake using you for your powers... please believe that." Krona turned away, glaring at the back wall, Skylis couldn't tell what she was thinking but he was pretty sure it was negative. I can't imagine what she's feeling... The SkyWing sighed. "Okay... so what happened?" Norse looked at his daughter with sorrow in his eyes and continued. "Well... one morning Adenium wanted to talk to me about a few things pertaining to Gailra and Krona... while we were talking Adenium told me, that Alter told him about our relationship. I, of course, was taken aback... but admitted to our relationship. I can only assume that... Gailra overheard the conversation... because when I went to check on her afterwards... I found my poor daughter... Krona was on the ground with her throat sliced open... laying in a puddle of her own blood...” The IceWing’s voice cracked, but he quickly cleared his throat. “Sorry… Anyways, I was beyond mortified... I rushed to try to find Gailra… still unaware that she had overheard, but instead I ran into Mandrake, the MudWing Tribe leader. He told me that he saw her leave, muttering to herself over and over ''Curse the Hated Blood... Curse the Hated Blood'. So I then hurried to find Alter... unsure what to do… but when I found him he was with Krona... she was alive and crying... I was so happy to see my baby girl was still alive..." Norse's sobbed, wiping his tears away. "In my excitement… I had almost completely forgotten what I had been looking for Alter for... but then he asked me what had happened to Krona. So I explained to him and he quickly assumed that she overheard the conversation… and feared she was going to do something to his family in the Sky Kingdom. So I left Krona in the care of the SeaWing Tribe leader Gneiss... while Alter and I left to find Gailra." "Did she go to curse me?" Eranomous’ voice wavered and his spines began to rise. The large IceWing nodded. "Yes... Due to your Father’s quicker speed, he flew off ahead of me... so by the time that I got to his home... Gailra was dead... when I asked him what had happened he told me that he was protecting his family... He said that she said 'The curse is complete... now it's up to our blood.' He told me, she then threw Eranomous’ egg to the ground and it erupted in flames… Alter said that she practically let him kill her after that, and when she died, your egg stopped burning." "My egg was on fire… and what does that mean, ‘Now it's up to our blood’?" Eranomous agitatedly slammed his tail down. “What is my curse? How do I stop it?” Skylis nodded, still keeping his cool. "Yeah... and what was our Mother doing while this was happening... also where was I? Did she not want to hurt us?” Norse shook his head and shrugged, "I don't know what she meant by the blood thing and I don’t know how to stop your curse... but to your question Skylis… Gailra held no malice towards your mother and you… she used her persuasion ability to make you both leave the cave... so she could be alone with Eranomous’ egg." '''That must be some dangerous persuasion if she was able to make my protective mother leave her egg. Norse continued. "It's much more of a manipulation then a persuasion... but still. Anyways... moving forward, as time went on Krona never seemed to gain any powers of the Vehement it seemed... which made Adenium furious, he was pretty sure Gailra did something to her… but I was actually a little relieved to be honest... I could raise Krona without Adenium bothering me. But that peace could only last so long… one day... Adenium ordered me to tell Alter to bring Eranomous to him... he was convinced that Eranomous' curse might've held benefits he could exploit." Krona laughed mockingly. "Oh, I'm sure he would've been disappointed..." Eranomous nodded in agreement. "Yeah... I mean... I tend to ruin everything... I go near." I didn't know he felt that way... I'm so sorry Era... The large IceWing lowered his head and his wings slumped. "I'm sure he would've been… I was pretty sure he wouldn’t find anything of use in him either... But when I asked Alter to bring him in... He exploded on me... being defensive and enraged by my audacity. Then out of seemingly nowhere… Alter told me he was done with the Peacewings and left... he told me 'if you're as smart as I think you are, you'll leave too'...That was the last time I ever saw him. I should’ve listened to him… I should've just grabbed Krona and left after him... but I didn't. I still believed, despite Adenium's power hunger, that this group was still helping dragons... But then I spoke to the snake himself... when I told Adenium that Alter left, he turned to me with a sickening grin and told me to kill Alter and steal ''Eranomous..." The three Dragonets all looked shocked, Eranomous stepped forward, looking misty eyed again."Wait... the Peacewings killed... my Father?” Norse's shoulders slumped, and his tail wrapped around his talons. "I wish I thought about the situation before I denied the order… I wish I did agree to kill him... so I could've warned Alter... Because I refused, he sent the too eager to kill, Mandrake. Mandrake was so excited to be doing a task for Adenium… he only heard the first part of the order… the kill part… so he failed to follow Alter back to his home, so no one had any way of knowing where his home was... so Adenium was furious. That same day though... I checked on Krona and she seemed to be starring at the wall... with glowing white eyes. Krona was using a Vehement power... so without a second thought… I took her and left to the desert... hiding her there, in the care of one of my closest friends, a SandWing named Cactushide. I knew Adenium would never check for her there." Krona lashed her tail aggressively and slammed a talon down. "He was killed by Outclaws after only a year of me living there, Father! I had to survive by myself after that... I haven’t been being protected…" "What!?" Norse exclaimed, taking a step towards her, "Three moons Krona... I'm so sorry... if I had kn-" "Don't bother apologizing to me now..." She spat, stepping back. "You didn't check on me... for four years... I can't tell you how much I've been through because of you... sheesh, did you ever plan on coming back?" Norse closed his eyes and sighed. "I don't know, Krona... part of me always just assumed you would be better off without me...” "Wow... thanks..." Krona gritted her teeth and headed towards the hall to the exit. Skylis watched her and sighed. ''‘Poor Krona…’ He couldn't blame her, he was pretty sure he'd be upset too, had he been in her position. The young IceWing stopped in her tracks and winced. "Ahh... no! Weed!? No, no, no...." Eranomous' ears drooped and he began to shake. "No... no Krona... no don't say it please... Weed’s okay... right...? Please say she’s okay!" Oh no... why now... Krona turned back. "Weed... she's…" She paused for a moment, tears forming in her eyes. "...but it's weird... I can't see her life..." "No... she can’t be dead…" Eranomous sobbed, already in tears. "How, Dustdevil was gonna save her!" He shook his head frantically and bolted down the left hallway crying. That was the last thing they both needed right now. Skylis watched Krona continue down the hall till she disappeared around the corner. Norse looked concerned and began for the hall, but Skylis stepped in the way, stopping him. "I don't think she wants to talk to you right now... I'll talk to her." I’d talk to Era… but I'm sure he wants to be alone right now. The large IceWing nodded understandingly and sat down. "Oh... okay... I understand…" The SkyWing rushed down the hall, hoping the IceWing hadn't flown off into the storm. If she flies into this storm she could get lost... or worse. When he got to the mouth of the cave, he was relieved to see Krona crying against the wall. "Krona..." ‘Thank you for not going out into that storm.’ The IceWing covered her face with her talons. "Go away Red... I want to be alone..." Skylis wanted to respect the IceWing’s wishes, but something told him she wasn’t being truthful. "Krona... I know you don't really want to be alone." Skylis walked over to her and wrapped his wings and forelegs around her. Krona froze for a moment, then let go of her emotions and began sobbing against the SkyWing. Skylis squeezed her tightly. I don't think she's ever just let herself... cry. After a little while of just crying, Krona wiped her face off and patted the SkyWing. "I'm good now... Thank you..." She sniffled. Skylis nodded, taking his legs and wings off the IceWing. "I'm here whenever you need me Krona." “Thanks…” Krona's eyes widened. "Three moons, I forgot you got injured, does it hurt!" She gestured to his injured leg. Skylis chuckled. "I'm okay, it only really makes walking a little painful... but that's it." He waved his claw nonchalantly. “To be honest I almost completely forgot about it.” Krona smiled for a moment, then quickly erased it. “It’s weird… every time someone I know dies the memories always just flooded to me… and I can sort through them easily… But it’s different this time… I don’t really see anything… I felt her die... I swear... but it just felt... different." Before Skylis could respond, he noticed something approaching out of the corner of his eye. When he turned to see it he felt like he was seeing things. Is that... a dragon? Approaching the cave was a cloaked dragon in all black, with an eerie expressionless white mask. At the end if their tail were a bunch of metal blades set up to resemble an IceWing tail. ‘What the...’ Skylis felt his blood heating up, Is this the dragon Era was talking about? If so, I'll kill him! The Masked Dragon stepped inside the cave and stopped. Skylis examined him a little closer now. His wings seemed to be the only skin Skylis could see, his skin looked almost grey with odd looking scars all over. ‘What tribe is he from? I can’t see any discernible features. I recall Era telling me the dragon who ordered the mask and tail toppers, was a SandWing…but there is no way a crest is on this guy…and it looks like he has no horns... Wait… What if he removed them…?’ Skylis and Krona backed up readying themselves for a fight. The Masked Dragon laughed. "This is my thanks for saving your tails... aggressive looks." His voice sounded cynical and mocking, but muffled due to the mask. Skylis stepped forward, growling deeply. "You killed my Mother, didn't you!?" The Masked Dragon chuckled. "Of course I did... but it wasn't personal... trust me. BUT... killing you... will be… Oh Skylis... I hated watching you... you think your sooooo perfect... I hate dragons like you... life practically gives you everything, while the rest of us have to work our tails off to get the praise that you always receive." He lashed his tail, scratching the cave floor with his bladed tail. "I would've hated growing up as your brother-" "Shut up!" Skylis roared, swinging his claws at his throat, the Masked Dragon stepped back, but not quick enough. ‘I got you!’ the SkyWing felt his claws cut across his neck, but felt his talons slide across metal. What!? He's protecting his neck with metal?’'' Before Skylis could react, the Masked Dragon twisted around and slammed his wing into the SkyWings chest, knocking him back. As Skylis fell back, he saw Krona rush up and snap her jaws down on his tail, causing blood to squirt out onto the cave floor. The Masked Dragon howled in pain, twisted around, and began to smash his talons down upon Krona's head repeatedly. The IceWing growled breathing a little bit of ice into the wound before he struck her one more time, this time she let go and clutched her head, seeming dazed. Skylis rose up, feeling the large gash in his leg throbbing again. '''Ignore the pain... till it's over He shook the pain off and rushed the dragon again, slamming him to the ground with all his might. The SkyWing climbed on top of him and slammed his talons across his face, slicing part of the mask off and leaving a nice deep cut down his forehead. "You're a dead dragon-" The Masked Dragon lifted his tail and jabbed it into the SkyWing's side, "Aaaahhh!" The Masked Dragon flipped himself over the SkyWing and twisted his tail, shoving the blade deeper into his side, causing Skylis to cry out again. "How dare you... I liked this mask." He hissed, lifting himself off of Skylis and pulling the blade out. "I've been waiting to kill you for a long time... but I’ll let you see the IceWing die first.” The Masked Dragon lifted his tail and began closing in on Krona. Krona's ears drooped and she backed up to the wall, still looking a little dazed. "Three Moons... Red..." Skylis began to cough up blood. ‘He must of stabbed me somewhere vital…’ ''He then looked over at Krona, her body was shaking uncontrollably. '''She's too scared... she can't move... I gotta get up, What good am I if I can’t protect my friends… Earthquake gave himself for us... I won’t let you die… Krona.' As the Masked Dragon began to swing his tail down toward her, Skylis pulled himself up and quickly rushed in front of her shielding her from the blow. “Krona!” §''' '''Norse The moment Norse rushed out to see what was going on his heart froze, he watched in horror as Skylis fell over dead next to his daughter, blood gushing from his face. "Skylis!" Krona cried. “NO!!!” Then her eyes flashed white for a moment and she fell over, unconscious. No, Skylis! Norse couldn't believe his eyes, What's going on!? He looked to the Masked Dragon, feeling himself fill up with rage. Without a word, the large IceWing charged forward and swung his tail right into the Masked Dragon's side, pushing him clear out of the cave. He glanced over to the two dragonets and growled. I'll kill him... whoever he is. Norse rushed out of the cave and looked around, spotting a trail of blood heading off further into the storm. You're not going anywhere you coward. The large IceWing followed the trail of blood until he saw the Masked Dragon catching his breath and clutching his bleeding side. The Masked Dragon lashed his tail and coughed. "Norse... I’m pretty sure Adenium would prefer if you didn't ruin another Peacewing plan!" "What!?" The IceWing exclaimed. "What do you mean? This is part of the Peacewing's plan!?" Norse couldn’t believe it. ‘What is that crazy snake trying to accomplish?’ "Hatred will fuel the cursed SkyWing… and will give him unthinkable power!" The Dragon chuckled. "Adenium will control the Cursed One and use his power to become king of every tribe in Pyrrhia...thus bringing a new age of unity and peace... to those who follow Him. AND you… ha ha ha… you will get to be The Cursed One’s first kill as a rage fueled beast…" Norse tilted his head in confusion and the Masked Dragon weakly laughed. “I think that blood on your tail will be convincing enough…” Before Norse could respond, he heard a loud pained roar from behind him. What in Pyrrhia was that? That roar didn’t sound like a dragon… The IceWing looked back unable to see through the raging storm. When he looked back to the Masked Dragon, he was gone. Where'd he go? Suddenly Norse heard a much louder, closer roar. ‘That doesn’t sound good…’ When he looked back this time he saw Eranomous running over, fire rising from his body. His fire look intense and his eyes were filled with hatred. "Norse... you killed him!!!" Why would he just-''' Norse recalled Skylis' wounds looking like an IceWing strike, then he looked at the blood on his tail, then he thought of what the Masked Dragon said before he disappeared. ‘I think that blood on your tail will be convincing enough…’ '''That sneaky masked freak... he set me up to look like Skylis’ killer… I hope Adenium gets what's coming to him.' '' "Eranomous, I didn't kill your Broth-" Norse tried to explain, but it was obvious that Eranomous was filled with too much rage and hatred to listen. The burning SkyWing rushed towards him with his blazing claws. '''I can't kill Alter's son... even if he's insanely trying to kill me right now. Norse felt the SkyWing’s claws cut into his chest, but he ignored the pain and grabbed his neck in his talons tightly. I can easily choke him till he passes out, I'm much larger than him... so holding him down should be easy. The IceWing forced Eranomous to the ground pinning him by the throat. Norse stepped down on the SkyWing's stomach trying to knock the wind out of him. The IceWing cringed, ignoring the fire burning him subtly. ‘Ignore the burn!’ Eranomous began to panic, attempting to gasp for air. "Eranomous I don't want to hurt you. You need to know I didn't kill-" Suddenly hotter fire burst from the SkyWing's throat and began to quickly disintegrate Norse's forelegs. “AaahhAAAAHHHH!!!” Norse reared back roaring in pain, looking at his missing legs in disbelief. The IceWing fell onto his back in agony, "Aaaaahhhh! My talons... they're gone!" How is.... his fire... so strong!?' '' The IceWing's mind was racing with fear. Eranomous pulled himself up coughing. “I’m going to kill you…” The SkyWing growled, walking over to Norse whilst building fire in his mouth. Norse's eyes widened. "Eranomous No STOP! This isn’t you!!!" The IceWing pleaded, writhing on the ground. '''I'm going to die... §''' '''Krona Krona snapped awake, sitting up. "Skylis…" She examined Skylis' destroyed face. The blades pierced through his cheek, eye, jaw, and part of his neck. Krona stroked his face, tears streaming from her eyes. "Oh Skylis... you saved me... I won't waste what you've given me... and I'll continue your promises... I'll keep Era safe..." Krona wiped her tears away and began to get up. Suddenly she heard a very unsettling roar in the distance that sounded like a monster. What was that? Clams… I have a bad feeling... The IceWing quickly hurried into the storm. ‘My stomach feels like it’s in knots…’ Krona tried to block the hard winds with her wings, but it didn't seem to be helping much. “This storm is ridiculous!” Then she saw something in the distance. Fire!? Era! "Eranomous!?" When she got closer she saw Eranomous covered in blood, on top of her Father slicing at his chest and neck like a beast. Krona felt her heart leap from her chest. "Era NO!" She quickly rushed over and slammed into him with all her weight. Eranomous tumbled across the snow with a yelp and looked over at her. "Era what are you doing!?" Eranomous' jaw was dripping with fire and his eyes looked insane." He killed Skylis... HE DESERVES TO DIE!!!" He hissed, still lying on the ground. Krona shook her head examining her torn apart Father laying before her, barely breathing. "No Era... That Masked Dragon killed him... Skylis was protecting me!" She cried. Eranomous' fire visibly began to die down. "What...?” Slowly, his eyes filled with fear. “Oh no... Krona what have I done?" The SkyWing began to pick himself up, when suddenly the ground below him let out a loud crack. Eranomous glanced down, then back up to Krona looking helpless. "Krona..." The IceWing's eyes widened. "Oh no... you’re on a cliff side... Era just jump to-" Before she could finish the ground under the SkyWing crumbled in an instant. Krona watched as Eranomous disappeared from sight. "ERA!!!" She quickly rushed to the edge and looked down just seeing fog. He's gotta be alive... I haven't felt him die yet. "Kro... na..." Norse wheezed out weakly. Krona ran back to her Father's side, tears forming in her eyes. "Daddy... sheesh... you look horrible. I really don't know what to do..." The IceWing knew her Father was going to die. His wings and forelegs were completely burned away and his chest and neck had been sliced up to the point of mutilation, along with slight burns and small cuts on his face. Norse coughed up blood and tried to clear his throat. "Krona... that Masked Dragon... is a Peacewing... Adenium ordered him to fill Eranomous with… hatred... I really want you to know that the Peacewings are a selfish group that wishes to be worshiped above other dragons... they must be broken... apart... Unity is not something that should be brought together through selfish means..." Krona nodded, trying to wipe her tears away. "I promise, I'll find a way to take them down... Daddy…" Her Father’s eyes began to look like they were beginning to fade. "My daughter, please be careful and safe... and please... if you can... keep Eranomous... safe for me... he's the last part of Alter... that's left." "I will Daddy... I will..." Krona stroked her Father's face. "I love you..." Norse smiled weakly. "…I love... you... too..." His body then stopped moving. Krona looked toward the cliff that collapsed. Era... I'm coming... §''' '''Eranomous Eranomous awoke to the sound of wind whistling in his ears and for the first time in the Ice Kingdom, he felt nothing but cold. When he tried to move pain shot through his body. "Aaaaahhhh....." Eranomous then noticed his fire was completely gone, he couldn't even feel it in his chest. I'm so... cold... The SkyWing tried to move again, feeling the pain surge again. “Aaaahhh… What… is… that?” Eranomous examined his body, quickly realizing he had a spike of ice going straight through his side. "Aaahhh!" I need to pull myself free! Eranomous pressed his talons on the ground and began to push himself up. As he pushed against the ground he realized he couldn’t feel his limbs. I can still move my limbs... but I can't feel them... uggh… this is scary… just focus on getting free.’'' Eranomous pushed up, feeling the spike in his side begin to slide free, but blood began to gush out as well. '''If I could twist my back legs enough to push up... then I could... push myself free. The SkyWing began to twist his leg under himself a little, feeling the spike pushing against his insides. "Aaaaahhhh!" He roared and pushed with the rest of his strength, pushing himself free and rolling over onto his other side, feeling blood rushing out. Eranomous felt worse now, regretting his choice immediately. Clams... part of my curse must be making bad decisions... cuz my life is filled with those... the SkyWing felt only cold now. With each shallow breath he took, he could feel death creep closer and closer. Weed... I can't wait to hold you again...' ''And with that final thought, his life slipped away. ~~~~~~~~ Next part: https://fjh-wings-of-fire-fanclub.fandom.com/wiki/Eranomous'_Story_Part_Six'